After a decade of planning, designing and construction, the University of Saskatchewan officially opened the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre. The facility is named after Gordon Oakes, chief of the Nekaneet First Nation from 1958-62 and 1970-92, and was unveiled on the anniversary of Oakes’ death Feb. 3. Assembly of First…

Based on new information, the RCMP Major Crime Unit North and the Prince Albert Police Service are continuing their investigation into the homicide of Troy Napope. Napope, 26, was last seen on May 28, 2015 at a residential party in Prince Albert. His burnt out car was discovered that day in a grove of trees north of Prince Albert. His…

The economic development corporations of English River First Nation and Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation have each acquired 30 per cent of JNE Welding. The Saskatoon fabricator manufactures enormous steel vessels for mining and oil companies. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, but JNE’s vice-president of…

Team of First Nations spellers will head to national competition - For the first time ever, the Spelling Bee of Canada will have an all-First Nations team competing. Winners from the First Nations Provincial Spelling Bee, to be hosted by Chief Poundmaker School in April, will form a team to compete in Toronto in May. Local organizer Pauline Favel says that Spelling Bee of Canada has endorsed…

Indigenous writers leave mark in Saskatchewan book world - Indigenous writers have been shortlisted in categories beyond the Aboriginal Peoples’ Writing Award and the Aboriginal Peoples’ Publishing Award in this year’s Saskatchewan Book Awards. The Education of Augie Merasty, by Joseph August Merasty and David Carpenter, is shortlisted for Book of the Year (and in two other categories…

North Battleford shelter struggles with funding Changes in funding by the province could force the†Lighthouse Supported Living shelter in North Battleford to close its doors. In November, the Ministry of Social Services told the shelter program it would not be paying for anyone it considered living on reserve, which could result in a slash of approximately 90 per cent in funding. The province…

The Kahkewistahaw First Nation has implemented a community improvement fee. The KCIF is set at five per cent, the same rate as the GST, and will be administered by the Canada Revenue Agency. The money raised will go toward local improvements. “It is our hope that the funds generated by our community improvement fee will bring much-needed benefits to our community and our members,” said Chief…

Bullfrog Power®, Canada’s leading green energy provider, and First Nations Power Authority, recently launched two projects that showcase solar technology specifically designed for Canada’s climate. The two latest projects are designed to offset power consumption for schools in the communities of Fond du Lac and Hatchet Lake. These power generation projects are FNPA’s second and third Strategic…

Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Chief Bobby Cameron is calling for a meeting with premiers of Manitoba and Saskatchewan over the right to hunt moose. Cameron said there is a need to discuss treaty territories and rights. On Dec. 15, Saskatchewan officers seized moose meat from two homes on Pine Creek First Nation in Manitoba. The moose was hunted on Pine Creek’s traditional territory…

Métis Nation-Saskatchewan may soon get its funding back. The MN-S provincial Métis council has agreed to a third-party funding proposal by the federal government. The new agreement comes one month after Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said the Liberal government would reinstate the funding. Under the terms of the agreement, the third party, which has yet to be named, would be…

Three Métis men from Meadow Lake were in court mid-January, charged with hunting or fishing without a licence. They were separately charged in 2012, 2013 and 2014 as they were harvesting animals and fish at least 30 kilometres away from their home community. Defence lawyer Kathy Hodgson-Smith argued that all Métis in the province belong to one traditional homeland. More than 45 community…

Dakota Dunes Casino is responsible for creating two more millionaires in Saskatchewan. The “Smoke Signals Jackpot” was won twice in three weeks at the Dakota Dunes Casino on the Whitecap Dakota First Nation. The most recent winner, Don Farber, from Porcupine Plains, arrived at the casino just 20 minutes before winning $1,048,973 by playing a progressive slot machine. Farber was presented with…

The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business and ESS Support Services (a member of Compass Group Canada) have honoured Chief Darcy Bear and entrepreneur Jacob Pratt. The 2016 Aboriginal Business Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award went to Whitecap Dakota First Nation Chief Darcy Bear, recognizing him for developing a financial management plan that led to the development of a self-governing…

The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, Offset Market Exchange Inc., and the Saskatchewan First Nations Natural Resource Centre of Excellence have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote Aboriginal business opportunities and Aboriginal employment in Canada. This first-of-its-kind partnership in Canada links Aboriginal-owned businesses to procurement opportunities in the public…

An appeal by Douglas Hales of his murder conviction in the death of Daleen Bosse has been dismissed by the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal in Regina. Hales was found guilty of strangling Bosse and burning her body near Martensville in 2004. Last December, he was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years. The move to appeal Hales’ conviction was based on a Supreme Court…